Tough As Nails
by Xxx-Aka-Ketsueki-xxX
Summary: While on a mission with Naruto Uzumaki, Anko crosses paths with someone who can relate to her past more than anyone she knows. However, the collision of two tough and brash personalities can either result in friendship, or hatred. Rated M for foul language, adult themes and scenes, and violence. Revised and Reposted.
1. Chapter One: The Homeless Redhead

**_A/N: Greetings._**

 _ **This was a story written back in 2013, but have recently decided to delete and polish up to make it a more enjoyable read. To most, this will just seem like a new story. To the rest, it should most likely be an improvement.**_

 _ **But in any case, have fun reading and enjoy!**_

* * *

Somewhere, in a forest not too far from Konoha, a purple-haired Jounin, and a blonde-haired Genin could be heard talking amongst themselves.

"You're so lying."

"Am not!" Naruto protested, "I learned the Kage-Bunshin technique in one day, what's so hard to believe about that?!"

Anko's brow twitched, and she looked at him with a mean grin, "Because you're a small fried brat. It took me a week to learn a technique like that, and I was a Chuunin at the time."

"Who are you calling small-fried?! I'm taller than you!"

"I meant you're a small fry when it comes to your skills."

Naruto growled, "Okay, that's it! You wanna prove it?!"

Anko grinned at his challenge, "As much fun as it would be to prove you wrong, no. We're on a mission, remember? And stop yelling, it's annoying and it could attract attention."

"So what, it's a simple C-rank mission. And we already completed our assignment. So why not back up that big mouth of yours, and fight me?" Naruto grinned, "Unless you're scared."

Anko chuckled evilly as it was becoming a challenge not to entertain Naruto's ignorance, "Listen, kid. You're just a snot-nosed Genin, and I'm an elite Jounin almost twice your age." She peeked at him through the corners of her eyes, "You better know your place before it gets you hurt."

Naruto crossed his arms and stopped walking, even as Anko continued, "I knew you were a wuss. You just wanna prevent the embarrassment of getting your ass kicked by a Genin." He says, grinning.

Anko stopped walking.

She turned her head, "...You really wanna fight me, huh Naruto?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I kinda do."

The Tokubetsu Jounin gave a small snort. Not a second later, Naruto found himself holding her fist that was aimed for his face. Now, he was face to face with her, both of them sharing the same smirk.

No words were spoken as Anko grasped the wrist of the hand holding her fist with her other hand, and began to spin Naruto with her strength. She released him, toward a nearby tree, the inertia forcing him to start running toward it. Naruto jumped and spun, planting his feet against the tree, then leaped off of it, holding his fist out toward his partner. Anko grinned and maneuvered herself to grab Naruto's arm, and slammed him flat on his back onto the forest floor. The blonde coughed as all the air was stolen from his lungs.

Anko placed a foot atop of his chest, grinning down at him, "Is that really all you got? I knew you were all talk, but geez." She mocked. Naruto grinned and pointed up toward the large tree he leaped off of, which was now about to fall onto him and Anko. Anko gasped in surprise, and performed a few gymnastic-like back-flips to move herself out of harm's way. Naruto barrel-rolled himself to safety, the tree just missing him by a few inches.

The wood crashed loudly as it hit the ground, forcing small birds within the area to fly away in fear. Just as the dirt and dust settled, Anko landed on her feet, but barely had any time to block an incoming attack from Naruto from up above. She held his fist and grinned once he landed.

"Using chakra to break the tree with your feet... Not only is that kinda smart, but it takes quite some power to break a thick tree like that."

Naruto chuckled, "So do you take back what you said?"

"No," Anko teased, "Still kind of ameteur-ish." She then unexpectedly swept his feet from below him, and spun him again. This time, she tossed him into a cave a few meters away, and watched as he rolled deep into it's shadows.

She places a hand on her hip and dusts herself off, "Let's hope there's no bear in there."

A minute or two pass by, and Naruto hasn't exited the cave. Just as Anko was about to go in and check on him, "A-Anko-sensei! Come here!"

Anko starts walking toward the cave, "Don't tell me you can't handle a bear. You're a shinobi for crying out l-"

"No, just come here, quick!" Naruto exclaims. Anko soon enters the cavern and sees Naruto kneeling beside someone.

He looks over his shoulder at her, barely able to see her due to the darkness, "It's this girl... She really seems hurt." He said. Anko looked past Naruto and can see a figure with what she thinks is red hair squirming on her back. It's too hard for her to be sure, with the lack of light.

"Bring her outside, it's too dark in here."

"I can't," said Naruto, "She says it hurts to even move."

Anko walks up to the squirming woman and can hear her breathing raggedly through her teeth, "Listen, I don't know who you are, but if you want us to help you, we need to get you out this cave." Anko says. The woman replies non-verbally by sucking her teeth in protest.

"F-Fine..." She manages to groan out. Anko squats and scoops her into her arms bridal style, despite the other female's outburst of pain. Anko carried her outside and into the sunlight with Naruto following. She carefully placed her back onto the ground and got a better look at her.

Her hair was indeed a deep red color, she confirmed. Her face was twisted into a suffering expression, as she clenched at her left collarbone. She wasn't ugly, Anko and Naruto thought, but she had a few scratches and dirt marks over her skin, wherever her shirt and pants didn't cover. Anko didn't spot a hitai-ate on her, and she seemed harmless in the state she was in.

"S-Shit...!" The girl growled, her eyes shut in pain.

"What's wrong with you? What happened?" Asked Anko. The girl managed to crack her eyes open enough to look at her.

"It's... my shoulder..." She replied. Anko glimpsed at the area she was holding again.

"What about it? Did you injure it?" Naruto asked.

"N-No, I don't know what the hell is wrong with it...!" She growled, "It... just burns like crazy...! And it feels like the pain is spreading all over my body...!"

The girl then coughed, and a wad of blood shot from her mouth.

"Can you sit up?" Anko asked. The woman looked at her with a glare, signifying that sitting up was a task that wouldn't be easy for her, "We need to see what's wrong with it."

Anko and Naruto assisted her in her task of getting her torso off the ground, "Now can you move your hand?" Anko requested, looking at her collarbone that she was holding. The girl hesitated like she wanted to protest, but did as she was told.

What Anko saw once she moved her shirt out of the way made her eyebrows raise in surprise.

"The... Curse Seal." She mumbled, rubbing over her own collarbone unconsciously. She saw the seal glowing red, like it was about to activate.

Anko had a lot of questions, "...Who are you? Who gave you that seal?"

Tayuya almost bit her tongue, "Is that really important right now?"

"Yes." Anko said firmly.

Tayuya sighed despite the pain she was in and glimpsed at their headbands, "Konoha-nin... Hmph. You guys would kill me if I told you."

Naruto looked at Anko, then back at her, "You don't seem dangerous right now, and you look like you're really hurt, so we won't do that."

"Or at least not yet." Anko added, crossing her arms, "Talk."

Tayuya managed a small chuckle, "M-My name is Tayuya. And I'm sure you know who Orochimaru is. He was the one that gave me this fucking seal..."

Naruto and Anko scowled at her, "So you work for Orochimaru?" Naruto assumed.

Tayuya shook her head, "Not anymore. I haven't seen or heard from the bastard in over three years." She then groans and clamps a hand over the seal, "God dammit, this thing is killing me..."

Anko studied her carefully, "...How long have you been working under him?"

Tayuya sneered, "What is this, a fuckin' interview? What's with all the questions?"

Anko gave her a glare, "If you're hoping for us to help you, and not put you out of your misery the easy way, I suggest you answer our questions."

The ex-sound nin grumbled, "I've worked under him for around four years. And if you're wondering, no, I have no more connections with him, and I don't have any hopes in dealing with him again. Working for him was torture."

"So he abandoned you. Or did you abandon him?" Anko asked.

"Kind of both. I was presumably dead. But I never went back looking after him."

The redhead coughed again, and a bigger wad of blood was seen, "Ugh, shit... So are you guys going to help me or not?"

"... I think we should help her." Naruto said as he and Anko were making their minds up.

"Why should we?" Anko said a bit bitterly.

"Because, she's in a lot of pain and she's defenseless. She may have worked for Orochimaru before, but that was three years ago. Besides, if we can bring her back to Konoha, maybe we can find out more information on Orochimaru himself."

Anko thought for a second, "But what if this is all an act? You and I both know that Orochimaru is very sneaky. How do you know she isn't lying, and this isn't some kind of trap?"

Naruto looked at Tayuya, "... She's not lying."

"How can you tell?"

"Because... I don't know. I can sort of just... feel it." He said, "Besides, don't you work with that big scary guy interrogating people all the time? I'm sure you can tell that she's not lying, too."

Anko sneered, "Fine. But I'm not dropping my guard for a second." She looked back at Tayuya, "Now how long have you been like this?"

"You mean before or after you guys spent the last ten minutes asking me useless questions?" She replied rudely.

Anko sent a hardened glare her way.

Tayuya cleared her throat, "E-Er, just kidding. The Curse Seal has been like this around twenty minutes before blonde-boy here bumped into me in that cave."

Anko narrowed her eyes, "...You wouldn't happen to be activating it by any chance, right?"

Tayuya shook her head, "I'm pretty sure my chakra system is screwed up right now. If I tried to activate it, I can tell that something might go horribly wrong. And I told you, I despise Orochimaru. I don't know if that fucker will find me if I tried using it."

"So do you have any idea what might be wrong with it?" Naruto asked.

"If I knew, I would have told you by now." She said.

Anko stared at her in thought, "Well neither of us are Medic-nin, so we can't really do much. We could bring you to Konoha and have them look at you. We're close by to it, anyway."

Tayuya struggled to stand up, "Do whatever you have to do, just help me with this piece of shit seal, it's fucking killing me..."

Anko nodded, "I'm sure you can't walk right now. Naruto, carry her."

"Hey, why do I have to carry her?"

"Because I'm a Jounin, you're a Genin, and I told you to do it. Besides, be a gentleman and sweep her off her feet."

Naruto blushed, then looked at Tayuya.

She sent him a glare, "Just don't touch me anywhere inappropriate, pervert. I saw you looking at my tits earlier."

"What! I never-!"

"Save it." Tayuya said, "Just get me to Konoha."

* * *

Things were quiet for the first few minutes of Anko, Naruto, and Tayuya heading through the trees, to Konoha. Occasionally, Tayuya would give an outburst of pain while Naruto carried her on his back. Anko still had her doubts, and made sure to be ready to use her kunai at any given moment, if need be.

Naruto staggered as he hopped onto another tree branch. Anko quickly looked back, and placed a hand on her kunai holster.

"T-Tayuya, you're kinda choking me..." Naruto mumbled, patting the arm that was around his neck.

Tayuya bit her tongue as she loosened her grip, "My bad... This fucking seal is killing me..."

Anko huffed and slowly turned her head back. She was still very skeptical.

Things were quiet for a few more minutes until the foul-mouthed red head spoke up, "So... What were you guys doing that got blonde boy here tossed in that cave?"

Naruto was about to answer, until Anko spoke up first, "Listen, we're not allies. The only reason we're helping you is because Naruto has a soft heart. Therefore, we have no liability to tell you anything, or give you any reason to believe that we trust you even for a second."

 _"Well, considering how I'm on this kid's back, with an arm around his windpipe shows that you trust me to some extent."_ Tayuya wisely chose not to vocalize, "Geez, it was just a question. I feel as though you're treating me like I'm a prisoner."

"That's basically what you are." Anko spat, "As soon as you get to Konoha, we'll try to treat the condition of your Curse Seal, then you're going into interrogation right after."

"Sounds wonderful." Was Tayuya's sarcastic reply. "So I'm assuming that I no longer have a choice in this."

"Nope. You can try to run right now if you want. But you will either be wounded even more, or dead. So pick the option that will benefit us all and save us a lot more time and energy."

"I never planned on running." She says, "I'm weak as shit right now. I haven't eaten in three days, and my chakra's pretty damn low. If anything, I'll gladly be a prisoner, that way I can be treated, and get a bite to eat."

"That brings me to my next question." Says Anko, "How did you end up in that cave yourself? And why haven't you eaten in three days?"

"Again with the questions..." She mumbled, "Ever since I presumably died, I've been living on my own. For the first two years, this weird but kind old man took me into his home and looked out for me; gave me a place to sleep, fed me, all that jazz. Then, bandits came one night, and robbed and killed him. They then caught me off guard and captured me, taking me back to their hideout to treat me worse than Orochimaru ever did. I was basically a slave at that point. But one night, I managed to escape, and killed all the dick-less fuckers that laid even the slightest finger on me. After that, I was on my own again. I don't know my way around Fire Country, so I've just been scavenging for things like clothes, food, and a place to sleep. For that whole year, I've done things I wasn't proud of just to survive. Then, one rainy night, I decided to kill off a bear and take it's cave to sleep in. I woke up in excruciating pain the next morning, and not twenty minutes later, I run into you guys."

Anko looked at her through the corner of her eye. Her story explained every scar and bruise she currently had on her body.

She still didn't trust Tayuya the slightest bit. But she gained a bit of respect for her.

"I see." Was all Anko decided to respond with.

"There's a lot more to the story, but that just about sums it up." Tayuya added.

"That's... horrible." Naruto mumbled.

"Yeah, no shit." Replies Tayuya, "But I did what I had to do, and I'm proud that I made it at least this far. I have and will try my hardest to survive under any circumstances, because I refuse to go out without a fight."

"...I respect that." Said Anko.

"Me too." Naruto said. "You have a lot of heart, Tayuya."

"Thanks." Tayuya said.

* * *

A few more minutes passed, and they finally arrived at the gates of Konoha.

"So this is Konoha. I haven't been here since-" She mumbles before cutting herself off, "Never mind."

Anko cut her eyes at her, but decides to say nothing.

"So now what? Do we take her to the hospital, or to Baa-chan?" Naruto asks Anko.

"We should take her to the Hokage before we do anything with her. Besides, we have to tell her everything that occurred on our mission." She said. Naruto nodded and continued carrying Tayuya, walking with Anko to the Hokage tower.

"...Who the fuck is Baa-chan?" Tayuya said, after some hard thought.

Naruto gave a small chuckle, "That's what I call the Hokage."

Tayuya looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "...The Hokage is your grandmother?"

Naruto shook his head, "Nah, but she's old like one." He said with a grin.

"...So the new Hokage is a woman?" She asked.

"Wow, you have been living under a rock lately." Anko said, "Yes, the position of Godaime Hokage belongs to a woman named Tsunade."

"Of the Sannin?" Tayuya asked incredulously.

"So you've heard of her."

"Of course," The redhead replied, "After serving under Orochimaru, how could I not?"

Anko looked around, then looked back at her, "You may want to be careful of what you say around here. Not a lot of people will take your past too lightly."

Tayuya said nothing further.

Once they've reached the Hokage tower, Anko knocked on her door before entering with Tsunade's approval.

Tsunade was talking to Shizune, until she spotted Naruto and Anko, along with someone she wasn't familiar with.

She never was the type to beat around the bush, "Who is that?"

Anko made the first attempt to explain, "This is Tayuya. We found her upon returning from our completed mission."

Tsunade rose an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "Is there any reason why you've decided to bring her to Konoha?"

Anko nodded, "Yes. We found her in a lot of pain, and upon analyzing her, we saw that she was suffering from the effects of a Curse Mark." Tsunade showed interest in hearing this, "We learned that she worked for Orochimaru three years ago, but was presumed dead and has departed from Orochimaru's service. We've decided to bring her to you, in hopes of retrieving any intel about Orochimaru that she may currently have."

Throughout Anko's explanation, Tsunade was simply analyzing Tayuya harshly, which honestly made her feel uncomfortable.

"...I see." Tsunade mumbles, "But has it occurred to you two that it could have possibly been a trap? That maybe she was lying about everything she said?" She said with narrowed eyes.

Anko cleared her throat, "Yes, Hokage-sama, and I was going to simply avoid getting involved with her, but Naruto strongly suggested that we help her."

Tsunade's eyes then shifted to the other blonde in the room. Naruto saw this and became nervous.

He glared at Anko, "Hey, you just totally ratted me out!" He said.

"I'm just telling the truth." Anko shot back with enough of a glare to keep her posture in front of the Hokage.

"Naruto, explain. Why did you decide that helping her would be a good idea?" The Godaime asked just as Naruto sent another glare Anko's way.

"Um, well, look at her! She was in a lot of pain when we saw her. And she looks terrible. Her hair is messed up, her clothes are dirty and torn, she has cuts and bruises everywhere, not to mention her breath, and-"

"Hey, watch it." Tayuya grumbled in his ear.

"Uh, the point is that I didn't feel it would be right to leave her there like that. I don't think she has lied about anything she told us, and I do believe that maybe we can get some intel on Orochimaru through her." He explains.

Tsunade stares at him and sighs, "Naruto, it's good that you have a good heart, but this is a village of shinobi, not caretakers. And it would be gullible to believe anything anyone you don't know tells you, especially if she worked for Orochimaru. Even if it turns out that she was honest about everything, how do you know that anything she knows about Orochimaru isn't old news? Three years is a lot of time, Naruto, and it's possible that we now know more about him than she does."

Naruto realizes that she has some good points.

The room was quiet until Anko spoke up, "So what do you say we do with her, Hokage-sama?"

Before Tsunade gave a reply, Tayuya cleared her throat.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, hope you understand that I no longer wish to serve under Orochimaru. Everything I've told these two were true. Working under him was torture, and now I wish to live an easy life. I'll gladly tell you everything I know about Orochimaru. I hate the bastard just as much as you guys probably do."

The room fell quiet again after Tayuya finished. Anko, Naruto, and Shizune all anticipated how Tsunade would react to Tayuya speaking to her without being directly addressed to.

Tsunade simply stared at her, looking her over as she thought to herself..

"...As leader of an entire village, I have to make the safest decisions in order to keep my village from harm. We have no liability to trust anything you say. You have a Curse Mark, which means that you've served under one of Konoha's top enemies, and we have no actual proof to believe that you no longer do. You can be leading us into a trap, after all." Tsunade took a breath, "However... Naruto means a lot to me. And as gullible as he may look, he's a very smart and trustworthy shinobi. So if he's willing to vouch for you, that means something. I've dealt with lies and deception for many years, and you do seem sincere... So, I'll let you stay here under the supervision of these two, for now at least."

Tayuya smiled. For once in quite a few years, she heard some good news that made her genuinely smile.

"But, I will still have to keep you restrained in some shape, way, or form, Tayuya. I will have chakra seals placed on you as soon as possible. I'll personally take a look at your Curse Seal and see what's wrong with it, and after that, you'll either go to me, Anko, or the captain of our T&I department to tell us everything you know about Orochimaru. Are we clear?"

Tayuya nodded.

Tsunade turned to the other two shinobi in the room, "Now I'll give you guys two choices. You can either have Tayuya live temporarily in one or both of your apartments, or you can choose to have her stay in a prison cell."

"You're letting us choose?" Naruto asked.

"Yes." Tsunade responded

Anko and Naruto look at each other, then at Tayuya. She decides not to look at them, but inwardly hopes that she'll get to live in an apartment instead of a prison cell. But beggars can't be choosers, she realizes. Either way, she'll have a place to stay, and will be taken care of, compared to living in caves and having to live like a savage.

"Well?" Tsunade prompts, getting slightly impatient, "What's it going to be?"


	2. Chapter Two: Anko's New Roommate

After the door was unlocked, Tayuya stepped in and looked around.

"Nice place you got here." She commented, "A bit messy though."

The owner of the apartment looked at her, "Well, forgive me for not sprucing the place up for your arrival. If you don't like it, you can always live with Naruto. Or stay in a jail cell."

Tayuya shrugged, "I was just sayin'. No need to come at my throat for a comment."

Anko closed her door behind her and crossed her arms, looking Tayuya right in the eyes, "You're not very well-mannered, are you?"

Again, Tayuya shrugged, "Probably not, since I get that a lot."

"Well if you're going to be living under my roof, that will have to change as soon as possible." Anko stared daggers at her, "Got it?"

Tayuya was about to shrug her shoulders yet again, but figured that might push her over the edge and send her straight out of this apartment. Tayuya is very much an ill-mannered young woman, but was far from an idiot.

"Gotcha. Hey, can I take a shower? It's been a while."

"I guess, if you have anything that you can change into."

Tayuya had quite a bit of difficulty not to send a snappy, sarcastic reply, "No, you know these are the only clothes I have." She said.

Anko simply stared at her before huffing, "Just get in the shower. I'll give you some of my clothes until you can get some of your own."

The redhead nodded, "Thanks." Anko only grumbled and pointed toward the location of her bathroom. Tayuya walked in and closed the door behind her.

 _"She's not wearing any of my trench coats, though."_ Anko thought to herself as she headed to her closet.

A few minutes later, Tayuya had stepped out of the shower and found a towel to wrap around herself. She stepped out of the bathroom and was slightly startled to see Anko right there with crossed arms and an unfriendly look.

"Uh... What's wrong?" Tayuya mumbled, feeling a bit small under Anko's stare.

"...I've been doing some thinking, and I realized that your Curse Seal seems to have been bothering you less since Naruto and I agreed to help you. I mean, when we first met you, you were coughing up blood and had a hard time even moving. Now, your strolling around here as if nothing's wrong." Anko's glare hardened, "Why is that?"

"I've noticed that, too." Tayuya said, "I know it seems suspicious, but the pain has been slowly going away over time. Don't ask me why, or how. But I really was in serious pain back in the cave, I thought I was dying. Or maybe I still am, I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with this damn seal."

"You're right about that seeming suspicious." Anko said, "I'm warning you, if you give any more of a reason for me to believe that you're pulling some kind of stunt, I have every right to kill you where you stand. And I won't hesitate, either."

 _"Geez, maybe I should live with Naruto."_ Tayuya thought, "I understand. Now... Can I get dressed? I'm getting kind of chilly."

Anko sent her one last leer before handing her a small pile of folded clothes, "Here. I hope you can fit into a D-cup."

Tayuya took the clothes, "I don't know, I haven't worn a properly fitting bra since I was fifteen." She walked in the bathroom and tried on the clothes.

A minute or two later, Tayuya walked out the bathroom, "I can tell you really like mesh stuff..." Her new outfit consisted of a mesh bodysuit, with skin-tight, knee-length leggings, a dark skirt, and a sleeveless zip-up blouse that matched the skirt. The top was unzipped a bit, showing a fair amount of cleavage, and her skirt exposed everything down past the middle of her thighs. Although her skin still had many bruises and scars, her shower cleaned her up immensely, now free of any dirt spots and grime, "And the bra fits perfect, thanks."

Anko looked her over and couldn't help but be hit with a wave of jealousy, _"If she can fit those clothes, she can fit anything in my wardrobe. The girl is almost half my age, and she pretty much has the same body type as I do... Lucky bitch."_

"Well I'm glad they fit you. This doesn't mean you're welcome to everything in my closet though, this is just temporary."

Tayuya looked at herself in a nearby mirror, "I know, I know, I got it the first time you said it."

"Good. Now that you're all showered and dressed, we can go see Inoichi."

"Who's that?"

Anko sent a small smirk, "Just a good friend of mine."

* * *

Tayuya and Anko departed from the apartment and walked along Konoha's streets. Anko was ahead of Tayuya, leading her to the T&I complex.

"Hey, uh, Anko was it?" Tayuya called. Anko nodded without looking back at her, "Where are we going, exactly?"

"We're going to the T&I complex of Konohagakure. We're going to get as much important information from you as we possibly can."

"But, can't I just tell you everything now? I mean, I'll gladly do it. I already said that I hate... _him_ as much as you do. "

 _"No, you have no idea."_ Anko thought, "The Hokage and I already told you, we have no reason to trust anything you say. We can do just fine without you having to say a word. Besides, with our technology and techniques, we can get information from you that you yourself might have forgotten over time."

"So, what, are you guys going to invade my mind or something?"

"Precisely."

Tayuya felt uncomfortable, "But... I already said that I've done some things that I'm not proud of when I was on my own... There's some stuff that I don't really want other people to know."

"I bet." Anko said, "But don't worry, only one person will get information from you, and all of your personal memories will be classified to him only, as long as it's irrelevant to what we're looking for."

 _"But the idea of someone poking around in my mind irks the shit out of me."_ Tayuya complained in her head, "Oh."

Anko couldn't help but be curious. They walked in silence for a few more seconds until, "...Out of curiosity, on a scale from one to ten, how bad was the stuff that you had to do to survive?"

"...Fifteen."

Anko said nothing more.

A few minutes later, Tayuya and Anko entered the highly secured building that served as the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force's headquarters. Tayuya watched as Anko entered different pass codes to enter each door she led her past. There were also quite a few guards policing the area, and it seemed to be pretty well-secured.

Soon, Anko opened another door and was brought into a steel-walled room with a single chair. Inside, was a blonde-haired man that sported a long ponytail.

Anko walked up to him, "Hello, Inoichi."

The man nodded, "Anko. What brings you here?"

Anko pointed at the redhead, "This is Tayuya. She supposedly served under Orochimaru around three years ago. We just picked her up today, and we need to see if there's any juicy information regarding Orochimaru lingering in that head of hers."

Inoichi nodded, "I see." He looked at her analytically, "I notice that you didn't bother keeping her constrained."

Anko shrugged, "She says that she's willing. Besides, she has chakra seals placed on her. She wont be able to pull anything slick, trust me."

"Okay." He said. He looked at Tayuya, "Now if you'll sit in the chair, please?"

Tayuya complied and sat in the chair that she just realized has shackles on them. Inoichi locked her wrists and ankles in them.

"This ain't gonna hurt, right?" Tayuya asked. Inoichi looks at her, then Anko.

"Well, it depends upon how willing you say you are. If you truly are willing, this will be completely painless. But if not..."

"No need to use any torture methods, Inoichi." Anko cut in, "...Unless, of course, she tries to be some kind of rebel, in which case, you can give her Hell."

Tayuya swallowed her abundant saliva, trying to mask the small amount of fear she was hit with.

"Alright then." Said Inoichi, "Just sit still and close your eyes."

Tayuya did as she was told, then felt a hand placed upon her forehead.

Anko leaned against one of the walls in the small room and watched as Inoichi searched through Tayuya's mind.

Suddenly, Inoichi flinched a bit.

"Problem?" Anko asked. She received no response, "Right, I forgot Inoichi blocks out everything when he does this." She mumbled.

Just as she finished that thought, Inoichi released his hand from Tayuya's head. He opened his eyes, "She doesn't know much about Orochimaru that isn't already known. After all, she's only served to carry out tasks for him, not much else."

"I kinda figured that." Anko mumbled, "Why did you flinch earlier?"

"Because there were still a few mind traps placed in her mind by Orochimaru. Nothing serious, though."

"Ah." She sighed, "So is she telling the truth regarding her departure from Orochimaru's services?"

"She is." Inoichi responded, "She hasn't told a lie since you and Naruto met her."

Tayuya's immediate reaction was to blurt out "I told you!", but succeeded in holding that urge back.

"I see." Anko looked at her and hummed, "So there's nothing worth reporting to the Hokage either, huh?"

Inoichi shook his head, "No."

"Then I guess we're done here." Anko stated, "Thanks anyway, Inoichi."

Just as Inoichi freed Tayuya from the shackles, the door to the room opened.

In it, walked in Squad Ten.

Tayuya spots a blonde that looks much like Inoichi and an overweight shinobi that reminded her of her former acquaintance, Jirobo.

But the third person, she remembered having altercations with a few years back.

"Dad!" The blonde girl says to Inoichi, "Have you heard the news?!"

Inoichi raises an eyebrow, "What news, Ino-chan?"

"Orochimaru has been reported dead!"

Inoichi's eyebrows raised in shock.

Tayuya felt chills go up her spine.

Anko could have sworn she felt her heart skip two or three beats.

"Orochimaru's... dead?" Inoichi repeated, "But how?"

"It seems that Sasuke Uchiha killed him." Shikamaru said, "ANBU forces found his hideout, and upon further investigation, they found his body covered in blood, dead."

"That's... Wow." Inoichi mumbled.

 _"That kid... it can't be..."_ Tayuya thought to herself.

Anko was silent. Stunned beyond belief, her mind raced like a dozen race horses heading for the finish line.

Shikamaru then glimpsed at Tayuya, looked away, then looked at her again.

"Wait." He mumbled, feeling way too much nostalgia emitting from her to simply regard her as a normal prisoner, "You look familiar."

Tayuya chose to keep her mouth shut.

"I remember her!" Choji exclaimed, "She's that Sound girl that helped escort Sasuke to Orochimaru!"

Choji's words brought his memory to life, and his eyes went wide.

"You...! The one with the flute!" Shikamaru growled.

 _"Ah, shit..."_ Tayuya cursed inwardly. She attempted to let her shoulders drop, only to find that she couldn't. She looked down and remembered who she was face to face with. Their shadows were connected.

"Didn't you kill her, Shikamaru?" Choji asked. Anko and Ino felt lost at this point.

"I did! Well, technically, Temari did. But still..." His eyes turned into a hard glare, "I'm sure you remember me."

Tayuya attempted to nod, only to be reminded of the jutsu she's caught in, "I do. How's it going?"

Shikamaru's leer intensified.

Inoichi held up a hand, "Shikamaru, there's no need to have your jutsu active, she wouldn't be here if she posed a serious threat." He said. The Jounin reluctantly agreed and released his Shadow Manipulation technique.

"I just scanned her memories, and I know you two fought not soon after Sasuke departed from Konoha. But Tayuya hasn't served under Orochimaru since that day you both fought, and poses little to no threat to Konoha at all."

Shikamaru wanted to argue against that, but knew that Inoichi's words had to be true. His mind reading skills were presumably the best in Konoha. He looked at the redhead. Although his glare let up quite a bit, he couldn't help but to be skeptical.

"But... Three years ago, when we fought that day, a tree fell on top of you and crushed you. How are you still alive?" He asked.

Tayuya shrugged, "That's a very good question that I don't have a logical answer to. I thought I was dead, too."

Choji and Shikamaru exchanged looks.

"So... Are those other Sound-nin that were with you alive, too?" Choji asked.

"No. Well, I don't know, they could be." She answered honestly, "I haven't heard from them since that day, either."

"...So let me get this straight." Ino said, "You used to serve under Orochimaru, and you helped my Sasuke escape from this village?"

Tayuya rose an eyebrow when she heard 'my Sasuke', but decided not to speak on it, "Well, yeah, I guess."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Inoichi grabbed his daughter just in time before Ino got her hands on her. Choji then grabbed hold of her and dragged her out the room, futilely attempting to calm her down with his words.

Tayuya held her composure, but nevertheless sweatdropped, "...Was that his girlfriend or something?"

"She wishes..." Shikamaru mumbled. "Anyway, you're telling us that you no longer wish to serve under Orochimaru? Why?"

"Well, I even if I did, I can't, considering how he's dead now." She says, "But yeah, even if he still was alive, I wouldn't want anything to do with him. He was an abusive prick."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, "...It's hard for me to believe that someone can just turn over a new leaf like that. Especially given how you tried to kill me."

Tayuya rolled her eyes, an action she couldn't negate from happening, "Listen, it's not like I've ever liked or worshiped Orochimaru. Even when I worked for him, I hated him. I only did what he said simply because he'd kill me if I didn't. I was forced against my will, and now that he thought I died, and now especially since he's dead, I couldn't be any happier. So don't take our fight personally. Yes, I did try to kill you, and I did help to destroy The Leaf three years ago, but it was because it was an order. I don't personally wish you or anyone here dead, okay?"

Shikamaru nodded, seeing as she did have a point.

"I'm not saying we have to be friends, and I'm not really asking for forgiveness, but you don't need to think I'm an enemy anymore." She adds.

Shikamaru thought to himself for a minute before shrugging, "Eh, I guess." He then put his hands in his pockets and headed for the door, "I'd better check on Ino."

Anko, after being quiet all this time, follows after Shikamaru, "Come on, Tayuya. We gotta see the 'Kage."

* * *

Tayuya and Anko head onto Konoha's streets again, this time walking in silence.

That is, until Anko spoke up, "So you helped in the invasion of Konoha, huh?"

The question took the former Sound-nin off guard, "Um, yeah, I guess."

"..."

Tayuya noted Anko's lack of a response, "Why do you ask?"

Anko almost chose not to respond to that question as well, "Because that's something that you didn't tell me or Naruto when we first found you."

"Well... Is it really that important? I mean, I already said that I didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Yeah, I get that and understand fully." Anko said, "But Naruto still doesn't know that you helped his best friend escape from Konoha."

"Ooh..." Tayuya mumbled, "That was his best friend, huh?"

Anko nodded.

Tayuya scoffed in her head, _"Huh, well Sasuke seems like a shit best friend, if you ask me."_

"Well, if you understand that only did what I did because I was forced to, I'm pretty sure he would, too."

"I don't know..." Anko hummed, "All I'm saying is that if he knew, he might not be so quick to defend you like he did earlier today."

Tayuya didn't have anything to say.

* * *

Anko and Tayuya entered the Hokage's office for the second time that day.

"Ah, Anko and Tayuya." She greeted, "What do you have to tell me?"

"She's legit." Anko said, "She wasn't lying about anything she told us."

Tsunade looked at Tayuya and gave a small smile. She was in a surprisingly good mood today, despite hearing that her former teammate died recently, "Good. Any information about Orochimaru?"

"No. She hardly knows anything that we don't already know." Anko answered, "Isn't he dead anyway?"

"So you heard, huh?" Anko nodded, "Well it's still good to get any type of information on him, even if he is dead. One can never have too much intel."

Tsunade then looked at Tayuya, "How's your Curse Seal?"

"A lot better." Admitted Tayuya, "I don't even feel it bothering me anymore."

Tsunade thought for a second, "...I think I know why it was bothering you earlier, and not now."

"Why?" The two other women in the room ask simultaneously.

"Because, a person's chakra level's spike when they engage in battle. So I think that while Orochimaru was fighting Sasuke, his chakra somehow connected with the effects of your Curse Seal, causing you severe pain. And now that he's dead, you no longer have that connection."

"Huh." Tayuya mumbled, "That does make sense, I guess."

"But wouldn't it bother Sasuke as well?" Anko asked.

"Probably. He still managed to find a way to defeat him."

"Baa-chan!" Exclaimed a familiar voice after the door to the room burst open. "Sasuke killed Orochimaru?!"

"That is correct, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's mouth curved into a full-blown smile just as Sakura followed in behind him, "Yes! I knew Sasuke wasn't just gonna sit by and let Orochimaru take what he wanted!"

 _"Well, I guess that Uchiha really did mean something to this kid, after all."_ Tayuya noted. She then glimpsed at Sakura and the first thing that came to her attention was the pink hair. She could vaguely remember seeing her face at one point, but wasn't so sure.

"So where is he now? Probably on his way to Konoha, right?" Naruto asked, antsy as ever.

Tsunade hated to knock down Naruto's happiness over the subject, but it had to be done, "No one knows where Sasuke is now, but I'm pretty sure he's not on his way to Konoha."

Naruto's smile slid into a frown, "Well, why not?"

"Because, Itachi is still alive..." Sakura told him.

Naruto forgot about Sasuke's 'ambition'.

"Right, I forgot..."

Tsunade nodded, "Yes, Itachi is still alive, and it seems that Sasuke will stop at nothing until he gets his revenge. And now that you both are here, I wish to talk about something I've been doing some thinking over," she said, "I want to start a mission."

Naruto and Sakura gave her their complete attention. Tsunade then looked at Tayuya and Anko.

"You two are dismissed. I'll talk to the both of you later."

Anko and Tayuya nodded, and Naruto looks over at Tayuya, "Oh, hey, Tayuya! I didn't notice you there."

 _"Idiot. Even though I was standing next to him the whole time."_ She thought, "...'Sup."

* * *

The two Curse Mark bearers exited the Hokage tower. Just as they stepped away from the building, they heard a low, grizzly type of noise.

Anko paused, "...What the hell was that?"

"M'stomach." Tayuya answered, as if it were nothing.

"When was the last time you ate? Your stomach sounded like grizzly bears having an orgy."

Tayuya looked up in thought, "Mon...Tues... I dunno, a few days ago."

Anko was never the most sympathetic of people. But she couldn't just let Tayuya starve.

"...You ever had dango before?"

* * *

Soon, dusk approached. Anko just stepped out of the shower, and exited the bathroom. Tayuya was sitting on the couch, in her (or rather, Anko's) underwear reading a book she found lying around. One with an orange cover.

"...This is smut." Tayuya stated as Anko approached her closet, "Really perverted. You read stuff like this?"

Anko shrugged, "Once in a while. The guy who wrote it insisted on giving me a free copy for whatever reason, so I figured why not."

"...Jirai's hands began to sweat with anticipation as the two gorgeous women, Nako and Nurekai approached him with nothing but stockings on their legs and heels on their feet. Lust was showcased in their eyes as they eyed down the bulge in his trousers. A hand belonging to Nako found its way to said bulge, giggling devilishly as her friend started caressing her-" Tayuya recited, before pausing and closing the book, "Okay, I think I'm done. Only a perverted bastard can enjoy reading crap like this."

"I agree." Said Anko, "But aside from the ridiculous plots and sex scenes that come up in the book, it's somewhat entertaining to read. Only sometimes though."

Tayuya shrugged and put the book down. Reading any more of it might just make her sick.

She then watched as Anko reached up in her closet to receive something on the top shelf. Her hair was still wet, untied from her ponytail and clinging to her neck and shoulders. A towel was wrapped around her torso, hiding any of her intimate parts.

It was then that Tayuya saw it.

"...So you have it too, huh?"

"Have what?" Anko asked.

"The Curse Seal." Tayuya replied, "You were branded... Just like me."

Anko said nothing.

Tayuya elaborated, "So I'm assuming that you worked under Orochimaru in the past, too."

"...Tayuya."

"What?"

"You're talking too much."

No more words were spoken as Anko then headed back into the bathroom with a few clothes to change in private.


	3. Chapter Three: Tayuya's Revelation

Tayuya woke to the sound of a running sink and dishes being clattered against each other. Her baggy eyes strained to open as she scratched her head while sitting up from the couch she slept on. She couldn't remember the last time she slept that well, mainly because she could barely remember the last time she was able to sleep on something as soft as couch cushions.

She sat and looked around for a bit, unable to see Anko. That could only mean that she was in the kitchen, having been the source of the noise that woke her up. She groaned as she slowly stood up to walk to the bathroom and answer nature's call. She washed her hands and exited, only to see a stack of pancakes in the same spot she was sitting a minute ago. She had assumed it was her stomach tricking her into smelling the food being made, and was glad to see that it was not the case

Her stomach grumbled as soon as she saw the thick, almost perfectly rounded pancakes, and her first instinct was to grab them and dig in. But she remembered that she was in someone's home, and that she still had enough decency to at least confirm that the food was for her.

"Yes, they're for you." Anko called out from the kitchen, as if she read her thoughts. Tayuya wasted no time in heading over to the dish once she heard that. She loved pancakes.

Less than five seconds later, Tayuya had taken her first bite. She moaned crudely upon tasting them. They were fluffy, sweet, and just overall absolutely delicious. She wasn't sure if she was enjoying them so much because they were perfectly made or because she hasn't had many great things to eat in the past few months, besides the dango she had yesterday.

The red-head opened her eyes again, only to spot Anko directly in front of her. She jumped hard in response, and almost dropped the plate she had in her lap.

Anko smirked, "I take it from that moan that almost sounded as if you just climaxed, the pancakes are good?"

"They're... amazing." Tayuya admitted, stuffing another bite into her mouth, "God... how did you make them so good?!"

Anko grinned cockily, "It's a Mitarashi recipe I invented when I was little. I won't tell you my secret, but I will tell you that the syrup is mixed with the same paste that's used with Mitarashi dango."

Tayuya thought the syrup tasted a bit different than she remembered, but was too busy stuffing them down her throat to realize, "Well, shit, you could make a profit off of these babies, for sure."

"Glad you're enjoying them." Anko said, "Now hurry up and eat because we got places to be."

"Uh, we do?" Replied Tayuya with a full mouth, "Exactly where are we going?"

"Well, for one thing, if you're going to be staying here any longer, we'll have to get you your own clothes. I don't like sharing, and it'll be good for you to have more clothes for yourself when you head back out."

Tayuya paused, remembering that she probably shouldn't be getting too comfortable here. After all, Konoha owes her nothing, and she already outlived her usefulness with her lack of information about Orochimaru. There wouldn't be much use for them to keep her here much longer.

But she had to admit, it wasn't bad staying here for the past twenty-four hours.

"...Right. I'll be sure to get ready soon then." Tayuya mumbled.

* * *

Anko and Tayuya exited a nearby shinobi clothing store, both holding a decent amount of shopping bags.

"Strange how we have similar fashion tastes." Anko commented, "I thought I was the only weirdo who fully enjoyed fishnet and mesh suits."

"Not as much as you, but yeah. I can't do the trench coat thing like you do, though." Tayuya replied. Anko snorted.

"Not everyone can."

The Curse Mark pair then comes across Naruto walking from the adjacent direction, who was paired up with Sakura, as well. Naruto waved at the two and kept moving. However, before Naruto passed by Tayuya, the latter decided to stick her leg out, causing Naruto to trip and fall. The red-head chuckled as Naruto landed on his face with a muffled 'oof!'.

"Klutz." Tayuya grinned, shaking her head. She then grabbed Naruto by the back of his coat and pulled to help him back up.

"You tripped me!" Naruto grunted, dusting himself off.

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did!"

"Nuh-uh."

"Uh-huh!"

"Naruto!" Sakura interrupted, "C'mon, Tsunade-sama is waiting on you!"

Naruto scowled at Tayuya, where she simply smirked in reply.

"Better get going."

Naruto growled, "Grr... I'll get back to you later."

"Promise?"

Before Naruto could reply, Sakura rolled her eyes and grabbed Naruto's arm, and pulled him to their planned destination. Tayuya simply laughed as Naruto continued barking at her, even as he was being pulled away.

"Wow." Said Anko, shaking her head with a grin.

"What?"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were flirting with him."

"As if." Tayuya scoffed as they continued walking.

"You remind me of me when I was your age. Just a little bit more grumpy." The Jounin stated, "And I have a feeling that, like me, you act like a bully to anyone you have a crush on."

Tayuya shook her head, "First of all, I never have and never will have a crush on someone, so let's get that straight. Second, I'm a bully to everyone. Naruto just makes it easy."

"You're not a bully to me."

"Yeah, because you're already one to me."

Anko narrowed her eyes, her smirk still showing.

Tayuya smirked along with her, "And third, you don't know me as well as you think you might. So don't go around throwing out assumptions."

"I like to think of it more as confirming a fact, but whatever you say." Said a smug Anko. Tayuya did not reply, but simply rolled her eyes and shook her head.

* * *

Later that day, Anko and Tayuya returned home and Tayuya showered and switched into one of the outfits Anko purchased for her. It consisted of a pair of dark forest green cargo pants that stopped just before her ankles. On her feet were a pair of standard shinobi sandals, and wore a small charcoal colored tank top, one that exposed her lower mid-section and had a small slit in the middle, exposing a generous amount of cleavage. Short sleeves of fishnet were wrapped around her elbows as well.

"You look good." Anko admitted, enjoying her day off at the T&I department by kicking back and reading on the couch wearing nothing but underwear and a large t-shirt.

"Thanks. Can't remember the last time I wore decent looking clothes." Tayuya mumbled, checking herself in a nearby mirror. She then felt eyes glaring at her and looked at Anko, who was behind her, through the mirror with a sweatdrop, "Err, clothes that were actually mine."

Anko nodded and continued to her book. Tayuya finished checking herself out and turned around, "Hey, so I think I wanna take a stroll around Konoha, that way I don't have to stay locked up in here all day."

Anko let out a short chuckle, "You know you're technically still a prisoner, right? Besides, I thought you enjoyed my company."

"I mean, you can come with me if you want."

"No thanks." Anko sighed, "I don't feel like getting dressed again. And right now, I just wanna lay down and enjoy my day off."

"Okay..."

"Heh, I was messing with you, though. I don't have to watch you twenty-four seven. You can walk around if you want. Just be sure not to cause trouble and come back at a reasonable time, since you are still my responsibility. Other than that, you should be fine."

"Oh, alright." Tayuya said, heading for the door, "I'll be back later then."

Anko waved her off, not taking her eyes off her book, "Mm-hmm."

* * *

Tayuya spent a few minutes walking around and through Konoha's main districts and roads, making sure to memorize her directions as to not get lost. However, she figured there was no point, seeing as she'd be leaving soon. Tomorrow, most likely. And after realizing it, Tayuya knew that she didn't want to leave. Not to go back out there, where she didn't have a home or a decent place to rest like she did here. She was exhausted. Exhausted from fighting for everything she needed, whether it was food, rest, or even her own life. She wanted to feel safe for a change, and although she spent most of her life as a servant for Orochimaru, at least she had a bed and meals granted to her to keep her going.

She simply sighed and decided to prepare for the inevitable. At least she was able to get a break.

Before she could continue her thoughts, Tayuya noticed herself walking toward Naruto again, who was sitting on a bench, somewhere close to Konoha's hospital. He sat forward with his face in his palms, not even noticing Tayuya's presence.

"Hey." Tayuya greeted before chuckling, "My bad for tripping you earlier. I just felt like messing with ya. No hard feelings, I hope."

Tayuya barely received any response. She hardly knew Naruto much, if at all, but knew that his lack of a response was quite unusual.

"Hey, what's your deal? Why are you so quiet?" She inquired. Naruto sighed, and wiped his eyes before putting his face back in his palms.

"... My mentor died." He mumbled with a cracked voice.

 _"Yikes."_ Tayuya thought to herself, "Oh. That's a tough break, man. I'm sorry to hear that. You gonna be okay?"

"What's the point...?" Naruto choked, "What's the point of even being a shinobi if it means seeing constant failures and deaths of your loved ones?"

"..." Tayuya wasn't sure what to say.

"I mean, I can't even get my best friend to come back home, where he belongs. And then my mentor, someone who I almost look up to like a father, is murdered in on a mission. And it just... It's terrible. I'm trying so hard not to feel discouraged, but all this disappointment hurts... And I'm not sure I can handle much more."

The air between Tayuya and Naruto got uncomfortably quiet for a while. Realizing this, Naruto looked up a bit and sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to vent out to you like that. I know we hardly know each other."

Tayuya thought for a minute, then came to a decision and sat next to Naruto on the bench. She lounged out on it, with her extended arms resting on the back of the bench and her legs resting in the four-figure position.

"I can see where you're coming from, for the most part. And I agree with you. It's hard to see the point of going on with anything if it causes you so much pain. And it's exhausting, I totally get that." She stated with a far-off look into the distance.

Naruto glimpsed his teary eyes at Tayuya, before giving a long deep sigh. The red-head stretched and gave a short sigh herself.

"Since you wasted about five minutes of my time with that little vent of yours, I might as well waste five minutes of yours with a story." She said, "As you well know, I used to serve under you-know-who for many years. And you can imagine how miserable I was for those years; being forced to do stuff I didn't want to do, being experimented on, being around weirdos and creeps on a constant basis, and being tortured if I even thought of retaliating... It was rough. But then, miraculously, I ended up getting crushed by a huge tree during a fight, which should have killed me instantly. And before that tree came down on me, I was actually glad that it was happening. To be free from Orochimaru. To be free from that constant pain and slavery. However, this little old man decided to save my life and take care of me. How he managed to get that tree off of my body and then heal my fatal wounds are still a mystery to me to this day. But he did it, and for a while, I hated him for it. I asked him why he would bring me back. Why he would bring me back to this terrible, shitty reality we call life. And the fucker had the nerve to smile and say, 'something tells me that your job isn't done just yet'. I can't say I have much of an idea of what he meant by that. But he continued to take care and provide for me until those bandits came and murdered him. But before that, he would always try to convince me that while life does have it's misfortunes, it is still worth fighting for things that you want. I told him that I didn't know what else I wanted other than to be dead, where he only replied 'You just want to be happy. I can tell, you haven't known much happiness in your life, and you just want to be free and do what you enjoy'."

Tayuya paused to make sure Naruto was still listening, "So after I killed and became free from those bandits, I found that I was only back to square one, except it was worse because I was alone and had to fight and do things I'm not proud of to get everything I needed to survive. And it made me sure that the old man was full of shit. My life had only gotten worse after being pulled from the brink of death, and I constantly wondered what I did to deserve it. Why I continued going through this pain, when all I ever wanted was peace. It wasn't worth the trouble, and to this day, I'm still not completely sure if life is worth fighting for. I'm still scarred from everything that happened, from my days with _him_ , to events leading up to you finding me in that cave. I can barely even get a good night's sleep, due to the trauma and nightmares. But, even though I went all this time suffering, I'm still here; I never went through with offing myself. I've thought about doing it every day, and I still do. Some days are harder than others to resist going through with it, but something stops me every time. At first, I thought it was because I was a pussy and just didn't have the balls to do it. But after a while, I came to realize that some things that old man said stuck with me. Things like 'Your job isn't done yet' and 'Fighting through the pain will pay out in the end'. And as much as I hate to admit it, I guess I just want to see if the bastard is right. Even though I haven't seen much results so far, something keeps telling me in the back of my mind that if I keep going, all this pain and suffering will be worth it in the long run. I'm not saying I'm sure of it. But there has to be a reason why I had to deal with everything I've dealt with all my life. A reason why I didn't die and finally be at peace when I should have. And I guess I just continue on to see what that reason is."

Naruto stared off in the distance, thinking about Tayuya's words, while she sighed. She can't remember the last time she spoke this much continuously, "So what I'm trying to say is, yeah, life sucks. The pain you go through sucks. But there has to be a reason why you go through it. There just has to be. And if I never gave up my life, I don't see why you should give up your title as a shinobi. I'm sure your mentor wouldn't want that either. It's okay to get knocked down when life throws you a curveball, but I think getting back up might be the key to seeing if all of it will be worth it, ya know?"

Things got quiet between the two, before Tayuya let out a shocked yelp when Naruto pulled her in for a tight hug.

Tayuya's shock and confusion held her there for a minute before she gave him a sharp elbow to his ribcage, "Get the hell off me, you nut-sack! Who told you it was fine to break the space barrier?!"

Naruto winced as he held his stomach, though she didn't hit him too hard. He simply chuckled, "Ehehe... I just ahh, I guess I got caught in the moment, sorry. It's just... no one really broke it down to me like that before."

Tayuya rolled her eyes, but had to fight the urge to let a smirk break out on her face, "Well, if that's your way of thanking me, at least give me a heads-up next time."

"Sorry." Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "But in all seriousness, thank you. What you said helped me feel better. I'm sorry you went through what you went through, though. I wasn't completely sure at first, but you're a very nice person, in your own weird way..."

Tayuya laughed, "Thanks, I guess. Just don't give up, at least not before I do or I'll kick your ass. Deal?"

"Deal." With that, Naruto offered his hand to shake on it and seal the deal, to which Tayuya accepted.

She then stood back up, "Well, since I helped you feel better, the least you can do is treat me to something to eat."

Naruto smiled, "Sure, I'm actually kind of hungry myself, now that you mention it. I know this ramen spot that serves the best ramen on earth! Wanna tag along?"

"As long as you're paying, sure."

* * *

"Shit, Naruto... If I hadn't known any better, I would have sworn that _you_ were the one who's spent the past few months starving." Tayuya commented while leaving Ichiraku's ramen bar. Naruto only chuckled and patted his bulging stomach.

"It felt like I was. I hadn't realized I was that hungry until I started eating!"

"You literally had triple the amount that I had. I can't imagine the size of the turd that's gonna drop in your toilet bowl tonight."

Naruto paused and looked at her as if she spoke complete gibberish, "...Who says things like that?"

"I do, obviously."

Naruto still felt weirded out by Tayuya's blatant lack of verbal etiquette, but had nothing else to say regarding the matter. Ayame approached the pair, handing them their bill. Naruto graciously took it and paid for everything like he said he would.

"Wow, Naruto-kun!"Ayame commented, "You're paying the whole bill this time! I guess it's only natural when you have such a pretty date."

"Thanks." said Tayuya in reply to the compliment, "But we're not on a date."

"Oh... could have fooled me!" Ayame said with a chuckle. This made Tayuya and Naruto blush.

"Stop instigating, Ayame!" Naruto exclaimed. Ayama laughed nervously, raised her hands defensively.

"I'm not instigating, just observing!" She defended, "But fine, I'll leave you kids alone for now. Enjoy the rest of your night!" The chef's daughter said, returning to the back of the kitchen with a grin.

"Crazy lady..." Naruto grumbled childishly, "Let's go before she comes back."

"Fine by me." Tayuya scoffed before exiting out of the ramen bar with him.

* * *

"Yeah, this is it." Tayuya told him just as they arrived towards Anko's apartment complex, "You didn't have to walk me home, ya know."

The pair stopped just before the front entrance, "It's only polite to walk a girl home after hanging out with her, right?" He said with a smile, "Besides, I kinda like talking to you."

"Well, don't get to used too it." Tayuya replied, "I'm probably going to be leaving soon."

"What? Why?" Naruto asked.

Tayuya shrugged, "Probably because I've outlived my usefulness to you guys here. There's no real reason to keep me around, really."

"So what, we're just gonna kick you to the curb and send you back-?" Naruto was cut off when the door behind Tayuya opened up, "Oh, hey, Anko-sensei..."

"Oh, Naruto-kun, what a surprise! Didn't expect you to be here." Said Anko.

Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Yeah, I was just walking Tayuya back home."

Tayuya sighed as she felt Anko's eyes staring intently at her, "Oooohhh, is that so? It's funny, because I was just about to head out and look for her myself. So thank you!"

Naruto nodded, still rubbing his head. Anko always made him so nervous, "Hehe, yeah no problem..." He then waved to Tayuya, forgetting about what they had been talking about prior to Anko opening the door, "I'll catch you guys later!"

Anko waved as he walked off. Tayuya stepped inside and sighed.

"I don't want to hear it."

Anko followed in after her, a very obnoxious smirk pasted on her face, "What happened to 'I never have and never will have a crush on someone', Tayuya-chan?"

"Don't call me that. And I'm not crushing on him." Tayuya said dismissively.

"I'm sure you just decided to hang out with him and let him walk you home because you hate his guts, then." Said Anko with her words coated in sarcasm.

Tayuya rolled her eyes, "I don't hate him and I don't like him. He's tolerable. He was feeling bummed out over something and wanted someone to come with him to get something to eat. He was treating, anyway, so it would be dumb to turn down free food."

"Well then, it sounds to me like he might be crushing on you, then."

Tayuya sat on the couch and grabbed the orange book she picked up yesterday. Not to read it, but to try and tune Anko out, "I doubt it. I don't see what would interest him other than my tits."

Anko laughed, "I have the same sized tits you have, yet you don't see him treating me anywhere."

"Yeah, but you two are in two different age ranges."

"That means nothing." Anko countered, "Naruto can pursue me just as easily as he'd want to pursue you."

"Sure." Tayuya said with another roll of her eyes, "I'm just saying that I'm not exactly what most people would consider 'the perfect catch'. I'm rude, not very well-mannered, a complete tomboy... I just don't see why anyone would want me for anything more than my appearance."

Anko sat next to her, picking some leftover dinner out of her teeth with a kunai, "Well, even though you may not see it, you'll never know. Someone else might like those kind of things."

"Yeah, weirdos." Tayuya scoffed.

"Naruto is a big weirdo, thus, proving my point."

Tayuya closed the book and pinched the space between her brows, "You love to argue, don't you?"

Anko grinned, "Only when I know that I'm right."


	4. Chapter Four: Welcome Home

**A/N: Quick note, sorry if some of you received a notification that this chapter came out earlier than it did now. I meant to re-edit something here at like 4am when I was still half-asleep and ended up removing the chapter all together instead of replacing it. I didn't realize it or remember until a few hours ago. So sorry for the confusion.**

 **Moral of the story: Don't do anything productive while you're barely even conscious.**

* * *

Anko woke to the sound of a door being shut. Her eyes opened immediately, just as a shinobi's should when roused from his/her slumber. She stared at the ceiling in her dark room for a while, listening out for any more sounds. She heard a bit of shuffling coming from her bathroom.

"What is that girl doing up so late?" Anko grunted, looking at her alarm clock that stated that it was 4:25am. Throwing her covers of her, Anko got out of bed, placing her bare feet onto the cold hardwood floorboards. She exited her room, cracking and stretching her limbs while walking into the living room that Tayuya slept in. Anko looked at her couch, and saw the said girl missing.

Looking in the other direction, she saw the light from her bathroom shining from under the door. That's where the shuffling sounds were coming from. As Anko listened closer, she heard what sounded like... sobbing.

Anko approached the door and opened it. She was greeted to see Tayuya sitting on the floor, against the farthest wall in her bathroom. Tayuya had looked up in shock, and Anko was able to look into them. They were red, with tears flowing down them like a leaky faucet. Her hair was a mess and her body was sweaty.

Anko continued staring at her analytically, while Tayuya stared back, her face full of emotion.

"Why are you up, crying in my bathroom?" Anko asked, crossing her arms. Tayuya sniffled and wiped her eyes, looking away. She decided not to answer Anko's question and got up to walk past her, out of the bathroom. She tried to rush past her with folded arms, but was stopped when Anko blocked her path.

"I asked you a question." Anko stated, looking at the red-head out of the corner of her eyes. Tayuya's own watery eyes glared at the Jounin out of embarrassment, more so than frustration.

"Don't worry about it." The ex-sound nin grunted, "Sorry for waking you this time. I'm going back to bed, alright?"

 _"Waking me 'this time'?"_ Anko wondered, "What are you talking about?"

Tayuya was beginning to get frustrated, and decided to just let Anko know everything so she can be done with this conversation.

"Listen. I've been through a lot of shit, alright? I told you that these last three years have been fucking brutal for me. I was crying because I had a nightmare, and I have these nightmares damn near every night. This one was one of the worse ones, and I guess I let it get to me too much. Like I said, I'm sorry for waking you. I just want to get back to bed."

Anko continued looking at her through the corner of her eyes. After a brief stare-down, Anko moved out of her way. No more words were said as Tayuya headed back to the couch. Anko followed suit and headed to her own bed, but not before she heard the sobs of Tayuya pick up again as she closed her door.

The Special Jounin stood there for a while before sighing. Making a mental decision, Anko returned to her bed to try and salvage as much sleep as she could for the next day.

* * *

 _ ***Hours later***_

Contrary to yesterday morning, Tayuya was in for a rude awakening. A pillow flying through the air and smacking her in the face brought her back into the real world, making her jump out of her slumber.

"Wake up. The Hokage called us in."

Tayuya groaned and threw the pillow off of her. She slowly rose up off of the couch, giving Anko a tired leer.

"Alright, shit... What's with the attitude?"

"Just shut up and get dressed." Retorted the impatient Anko with crossed arms, "Don't keep me or the Hokage waiting."

Despite looking confused and offended, Tayuya got up and did as she was told.

* * *

The two soon left Anko's home and headed to the Hokage tower without much words spoken between them on the way. Tayuya wondered what Anko's problem was this time around. Was she just cranky because she woke her up last night? Tayuya was unable to figure it out, but felt it wasn't even worth going into.

After all, chances are that she won't see her again after today.

After entering the tower, Anko headed to the Hokage's office and knocked on the door. Once the pair heard Tsunade say 'Enter!' on the other side, Anko entered and gestured toward Tayuya.

"Alright, she's here."

Tayuya looked at the Hokage, who was staring intently at her. The ex-sound nin began to prepare herself for what was coming after this.

"Tayuya, was it?" Tsunade asked. Tayuya nodded, "I thank you for being so willing to cooperate with us while gathering information with you."

"No prob." Tayuya simply shrugged with no real emotion.

Tsunade reclined back into her chair, "So I hear that Anko took the time to keep you fed and buy you some clothes." Her eyes turned toward said Jounin, "That's awfully nice of you."

Anko simply shrugged and said nothing. That was a bit of an unexpected response from both Tsunade and Tayuya. Anko usually always has something to say for anything said to her.

Dismissing it, Tsunade turned back to Tayuya, "In any case, I suppose you'll be wanting to head back out now. There's no need to keep you here any longer."

Tayuya simply let out a sigh. There was no point in protesting or putting up a fight, not that she had the energy for it anyway.

"I guess."

Tsunade nodded, "Alright then, you're free to go. I wish you the best of luck."

The redhead nodded and turned around to exit the office. Just as Anko got one last look at Tayuya's face, she saw it. She almost missed it, but Anko could see the pain in Tayuya's face, even if only slightly. She could tell that Tayuya didn't want to head back out there. Hell, no sane person would want to, in her case. She knew that staying in Konoha was a nice break from what she was going through out there, especially if her life was as bad as she made it seem last night when she was in her bathroom.

But Anko simply shook her head. That wasn't her problem.

No words of goodbye were said, nor was any eye contact made between Tayuya and Anko as she left. Anko simply brushed it off and began walking toward Tsunade to discuss a few business related matters with her.

However, throughout their conversation, Anko could slightly, just very slightly, feel something tugging on her in the back of her mind as a result of Tayuya's dismissal.

* * *

"So are ya sure Kurenai-sensei isn't just, you know... getting fat?" Naruto asked Shikamaru with an unsure mumble. The Jounin sighed and shook his head.

"No, you dolt. I told you that she's pregnant." He then switched back to the subject at hand, "Anyway, let's hurry up. Tsunade is waiting on us so we can figure out what Jiraiya's message is supposed to mean."

"Right." Naruto nodded. The pair then picked up the pace of their steps to talk with the Hokage.

However, they noticed a certain someone with red hair about to walk past them. Her arms were folded just below her bust, and she was looking down, seemingly caught up in her thoughts. Naruto waved to her with a small smile, but she didn't even notice.

"Hey, Tayuya! You okay?" Naruto asked. Tayuya passed him without so much as a glance in his direction. Naruto continued staring at her as she walked away before narrowing his eyes and walking after her. Shikamaru made a small attempt to prevent Naruto from doing so, but Naruto refused to listen. Shikamaru simply decided to trail behind them, mumbling something about a troublesome blonde.

"Tayuya, what's wrong?" Naruto asked, walking in step with her.

"Nothing, I'm leaving." Tayuya said with hardly any emotion in her voice.

"Leaving?" Naruto repeated, "As in leaving for good?"

"As in leaving for good." She replied with a feeble nod.

"Why?"

"Because I'm no longer needed here. I hardly knew much about Orochimaru, and anything I did know is pretty useless now that the asshole is dead." Tayuya's eyes glanced over to him, "Did you honestly think that I'd be staying here permanently after you found me in that cave?"

"Well... I don't see why not." Naruto admitted, "Why do you want to leave?"

"You think I want to?" Tayuya scoffed, "I just spoke with the Hokage, and she made it clear that she expects me to leave. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm not gonna be a burden to anyone."

Naruto furrowed his brows, "Baa-chan told you to leave? She just decided to kick you to the curb like that?"

"Pretty much."

Naruto stopped walking. For some reason, this made Tayuya stop, as well.

"That sounds like a load of crap to me." Naruto grunted, "Why would Baa-chan do such a thing? She knows you don't have anywhere else to go out there, and that you might not even last much longer if you continue living like that! She knows you're just a girl with no home and no cruel intentions, so why would she just decide to toss you back out like that?!"

Tayuya looked at him for a while before answering. Why was he getting upset?

"Do you not realize that the Hokage nor your village owes me nothing? I served under Orochimaru for years, one of Konoha's top enemies. Even if he is dead now, do you really think that I'm entitled to a house and home for such a thing? The fact that I was even able to come to this village and have a roof over my head for a few days is an act of kindness within itself."

"It's not about you owing us anything!" Naruto argued, "You were in need of help and we took you in! Yeah, you may have had useful information about Orochimaru, but that wasn't the only reason I wanted to bring you here. And now that we see that you have no useful information, we're just gonna throw you back out there?! You said it yourself, your life was shit living like that for three years! You could have died at any point! So why would we throw you back into such a hard spot like that, when you can just stay here?!"

There was silence among the group. Shikamaru simply stood back and watched the events in front of him, figuring it'd be too troublesome to get involved.

Tayuya was just staring at him, wondering what Naruto's deal was. They weren't friends. They only knew each other for three days. So why would he be so adamant on having her stay here? Why did he care? What was his true reason for wanting her to stay?

A sudden thought then occurred to her as she thought about the conversation she and Anko had two days ago after leaving the T&I Headquarters:

 _"So you helped in the invasion of Konoha, huh?"_

 _"Um, yeah, I guess."_

 _"..."_

 _"Why do you ask?"_

 _"Because that's something that you didn't tell me or Naruto when we first found you."_

 _"Well... Is it really that important? I mean, I already said that I didn't have a choice in the matter."_

 _"Yeah, I get that and understand fully. But Naruto still doesn't know that you helped his best friend escape from Konoha."_

 _"Ooh... That was his best friend, huh?"_

 _Anko nodded._

 _"Well, if you understand that only did what I did because I was forced to, I'm pretty sure he would, too."_

 _"I don't know... All I'm saying is that if he knew, he might not be so quick to defend you like he did earlier toda_ y."

Tayuya chuckled sourly in her head. He still doesn't know. Thinking back on it, she did remember seeing a loud blonde kid with the group that was chasing after them once she and the Sound Four were transporting Sasuke back to the Sound Village three years ago. That kid was Naruto. And she was there, helping Naruto's closest friend fall into the hands of Orochimaru. She even tried to kill one of his friends, who was the person behind him. Furthermore, even before that, she aided in the invasion, and assisted in sealing off the fight between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage, which ultimately caused him to die. She's committed crimes against this village. And it didn't seem that Naruto realized that or recognized her. All he seemed to know about her was that she used to work under Orochimaru, and a summary of everything after that.

Before she could even think of a response, she was taken by the wrist and was being pulled in the other direction. Surprised by this, she yanked her hand back.

"Let go of me! What do you think you're doing?"

Naruto turned his head toward her, "Do you want to head back out there, where you have no home or anyone to look out for you? Or do you want to stay here, where you'll be safe?"

Tayuya glared at him. Not so much out of anger, but out of confusion, "I think the answer is pretty damn obvious."

"Then come with me. We're going to have a talk with Baa-chan." He passed his friend as he restarted his path to the Hokage tower, "C'mon Shikamaru."

The member of the Nara clan glanced over at Tayuya, who glanced back. No words were spoken between them as they began to follow Naruto.

* * *

She nodded, "Ibiki and I thought the same thing, too. But it seems some of those prisoners are-"

Anko's and Tsunade's discussion was cut off when the door to the Hokage's office suddenly burst open. Naruto stormed in and approached her desk, with Tayuya and Shikamaru trailing in from a distance.

Naruto slammed both hands onto Tsunade's desk, looking her right in the eyes, hardly even noticing Anko's presence next to him.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Baa-chan?!"

Tayuya's eyes grew and placed a hand over her mouth, "My God... This kid's got a fucking death wish. Does he really think that he'll walk out of here alive after storming into her office like this?"

Shikamaru chuckled and shook his head, "He's one of the only people in the entire village that can really get away with that. Those two blondes are much closer than you think."

Tayuya scoffed, though still skeptical as she looked at the glare Tsunade was sending Naruto, "Must be, considering how he calls her 'Baa-chan' all the time and doesn't get the shit beat out of him."

Tsunade leaned forward in her chair, meeting his glare with one of her own, "Naruto, I highly suggest you don't make a habit of approaching me like this, for your sake." She warned him sternly, "Now just what the hell are you talking about?"

Naruto grit his teeth, "So you're just going to send Tayuya out on her merry way, knowing she doesn't have a home to go to?!"

Tsunade's leer was much calmer than Naruto's, but was equally, if not, more fierce than his, "Tayuya has outlived her purpose here. She is not a member of Konoha, nor is she our responsibility. She was originally supposed to be a prisoner, but I've decided not to fully place her as one out of the kindness of my heart. But now she must go on about her business, as should we. Whether or not she has a home to go after this has nothing to do with us."

"It has everything to do with us!" Naruto exclaimed, "You know she's been out there hardly surviving on her own out there! Why so you feel the need to send her back out to that kind of life when we can keep her and give her a new opportunity to have a better one?!"

"Because that is not our responsibility." Tsunade answered with crossed arms, "We are a village of shinobi, Naruto, not a village of caregivers. If she was a member of Fire Country, I may feel more inclined to help her. But she is an ex-Sound nin, Naruto. She used to be an enemy of Konoha. Therefore-"

" _Used to be_ an enemy of Konoha!" Naruto repeated, "That was three years ago! And she was forced to do what Orochimaru told her, or else she'd die, so it's not like she voluntarily made herself an enemy! I can't believe you're being so cold as to refuse to lend a helping hand to someone who can use it!"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. This was the second day in a row that she was getting yelled at by this boy. She had gotten an earful from him when she and Fukasaku had informed him of Jiraiya's death.

Despite the frustration building in her core, she remained calm enough to have a sensible debate, "I'm not being cold, Naruto, it's just common sense. What should compel us to help her? I thanked her for being so cooperative, but that's not much to be that grateful for. She was even fed, had her wounds healed, and had a home to sleep in for three whole days, which is what most prisoners here would consider a luxury. Even if she wasn't an ex-sound nin, what use would she be of the village if we kept her?"

"She could become a kunoichi of Konoha!"

"Out of the question." Tsunade dismissed, "Tayuya has fought against our shinobi, and even has the Curse Seal on her. Orochimaru may be dead, but we still don't know much of the effects of such a seal. I refuse to let someone who was once against this village to gain enough power to potentially betray us."

Naruto snarled, "I can't believe you! First you get Ero-Sennin killed, and now you-!"

"YOU WATCH YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!" Tsunade shouted, standing up out of her chair. Naruto had pushed her past her breaking point with that one, "I will not sit here and be condemned by you for my decisions as Hokage! If I were to command that Tayuya leaves, then that is my decision! If I were to command that she be beheaded, that is my decision! Who the hell do you think you are to tell me how to rule this village?!"

Everyone, including Anko, were shocked at Tsunade's outburst. Even Tayuya knew that the wrath of the Hokage was not to be taken lightly.

Naruto took a step back as Tsunade snapped at him, but immediately tightened his jaw and stepped forward, his face now less than five inches away from Tsunade's. He could see that he was wrong for his last comment, after seeing Tsunade's eyes building up with excessive liquid, but refused to back down nevertheless, "I'm just standing up for what's right! Tayuya needs our help; who knows how much longer she'd last if she were to go back out there! It doesn't matter that she used to serve under Orochimaru! It doesn't matter that she has the Curse Seal! I can see that Tayuya will gladly prove her loyalty to Konoha if given the chance! And the fact that you're not even granting her that much is pissing me off! We represent Konoha, the strongest village out there! And one of the reasons we're so strong is because we help those who need it, and aren't so selfish as to turn away anyone who can use it! So why is that changing now?!"

"Naruto," Tsunade sighed in an attempt to calm herself, "You have to understand that I would like to help Tayuya under the right circumstances. But given her past affiliations and crimes against the village, it's not easy for me to just trust that she'd be no threat to Konoha, even if it were three years ago. With everything that's happening now, especially with the Akatsuki, we have to tread carefully. I don't want to take any unnecessary risks to hurt this village. We've let Tayuya through these walls and helped her out enough as it is, so I just don't feel the need to do more than we already have for her."

Naruto looked back at Tayuya, He saw her looking down at the ground with an emotional mask on to hide the look of disappointment that Naruto was still able to see.

He then turned his head back to look at his Hokage, "Fine, we don't have to enlist her as a shinobi if that bothers you so much. But at least let her stay here as a civilian. She can keep her chakra seals on her, so she won't be of any threat. I'll even let her stay at my place to keep an eye on her."

Tsunade stared at her desk for a moment before meeting Naruto's gaze again, "Naruto, I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

She narrowed her eyes, "Why do you care so much about this girl staying here? I understand that you're standing up for what you think is right, but I'm beginning to think that there's a little more to it than that."

Naruto didn't answer right away, "We made a promise." He said, "We talked a bit last evening, and she helped me in regards to how I felt about Ero-Sennin being dead. I was thinking about turning in my hitai-ate. But she convinced me otherwise. And we made a promise for her not to give up on her life as long as I didn't give up my title as a shinobi. And I want her to be here so she can see that I'm living up to that promise. She's had it rough out there, Baa-chan. It would be heartless to just throw her back into that life again."

This made Tsunade sit back into her chair. Naruto's words had broken through, and she was letting them marinate inside her mind.

After what seemed like minutes of silence among everyone in the room, Tsunade turned to Anko.

"What's your thoughts on this, Anko? You've spent more time with her than Naruto has." Tsunade stated, "Do you think she's trustworthy?"

The Tokubetsu Jounin looked back at her fellow Curse Mark bearer. Their eyes locked with each other momentarily before Tayuya averted her gaze.

Anko closed her eyes and sighed, turning back toward the Hokage, "... She snores in her sleep."

Everyone else's right eyebrow raised in confusion at Anko's statement, "Err, okay. That doesn't answer my question though." Tsunade said.

"That's the only problem I really have with her." Anko elaborated, "Therefore, she doesn't really give me much reason to believe she's untrustworthy."

Tayuya looked at Anko with a bit of shock. Was she... standing up for her?

"I see." Hummed Tsunade. She then looked towards Shikamaru, "From the information I received from Inoichi, I saw that you've actually fought against her at one point. What are the skills that she possesses?"

Shikamaru glanced at her, "Well, she can summon powerful creatures via summoning jutsu and command them with a flute. She's also pretty good in genjutsu, and can double her skills as a result of the Curse Mark. She's also pretty smart and analytical like me. She'd make a hell of a shogi player." Shikamaru shrugged, "That's about all I know, if I remember correctly."

"Interesting." The Hokage mumbled, studying Tayuya carefully, "Tell me, do you think she'd pose as a threat to Konoha if we were to enroll her as one of our shinobi?"

The lazy boy sent another look at Tayuya before grinning, "Nah. Even if she were to go against us, she was a pretty weak opponent."

"Says the guy who was getting creamed by a girl, and let another girl come save him." Tayuya couldn't help but reply with a scoff. This made Shikamaru chuckle.

Tsunade sat there and thought for a moment before closing her eyes. She came to a decision.

"Tayuya." The eldest woman in the room called, "Step forward."

The girl hesitantly did as she was told and approached the Hokage's desk, standing between Naruto and Anko. Tsunade opened her eyes to look at Tayuya carefully.

"If I were to offer you a place in our village, would you swear your complete loyalty and allegiance to this village from this day onward?"

Tayuya looked at Naruto before answering. He nodded his head with a smile. Tayuya then did the same with Anko, who gave a similar response.

The ex-sound nin looked at one of the most powerful leaders in the world of shinobi and nodded, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade took a brief pause after she answered, and Tayuya could swear she only did it to build suspense.

The heavy-chested leader leaned back in her chair. She issued Tayuya with a small smile.

"Very well. I hereby grant you citizenship as a member of Konohagakure no Sato."

Tayuya's eyes grew. Her heart was pounding.

Tsunade smiled wider and extended a hand out for Tayuya to shake.

"Welcome to your new home, Tayuya."

Tayuya wasn't sure why, but she felt this overwhelming, but comfortingly warm feeling in her chest upon hearing those words.

And before she knew it, she suddenly found her cheeks coated with tears of joy.


	5. Chapter Five: The Long Night Ahead

Anko began laughing a bit while Tayuya shook the Hokage's hand, wiping her face with the other, "Aww, see what you did, Fifth? You made her cry."

"Sh-Shut up..." Tayuya retorted weakly. No matter how much she wiped her face and told herself to stop acting like such a pussy, her tears still continued to flow.

"Inoichi told me how rough you had it out there when he searched through your memories." Said Tsunade, "He said that most people would have just taken the easy way out if they went through most of the stuff you've been through. Now that I'm really thinking about it, anyone who has such a strong will to live under those odds must have some sort of potential to become a valuable kunoichi."

"So you're serious?!" Naruto asked Tsunade with an excited grin, "You're really letting her stay here and become a kunoichi?!"

Tsunade looked off, apparently thinking about something, "I never said that I'll definitely let her become a kunoichi... Despite everything, I'm still not one-hundred percent on the idea. That being said, I definitely am letting her stay here. I'll work on finding her an apartment of her own, and a job for her to earn money for things she needs. Until then, she'll just have to stay living with you Anko." Tsunade's eyes cut to Naruto and did so with a subtle smirk, for whatever reason, "Or she can stay with you, Naruto. It's up to you guys."

Tayuya hated how her bottom lip began to quiver from her overwhelming emotions, "Th-Thank you..." She sniffled, "You must think I'm pathetic... crying like this."

The female Sannin member chuckled, "Nonsense, Tayuya. You're just overwhelmed with happy emotions right now. There's nothing pathetic about that." Her face then hardened a bit, "But I will say this; If you give me any reason to regret this decision, you will be thrown out of here, if not killed. Not even Naruto will be able to save you from that. So I'll need your word that from here on out, you'll remain loyal to the village and to me as Hokage."

"You have my word." Tayuya nodded, standing up straight. For now, her tear well ran dry, "I won't let you down."

Tsunade smiled slightly, "That's what I like to hear. Now, I'll just have to request that you and Shikamaru give me a minute to talk with Naruto and Anko alone."

Tayuya and Shikamaru both nodded and exited out of the room. They stood out there with crossed arms, leaning on opposite walls of the hallway in somewhat awkward silence.

"Just so you know..." Shikamaru mumbled, "I took it easy on you back then because I thought you were attractive."

Tayuya closed her eyes and began laughing, "Is this you still trying to cover up for the fact that you were getting your ass handed to you by a girl, or are you just hitting on me now that I'm one of you guys?"

"The former." Shikamaru grinned, "That girl that helped me fight you-"

"You mean the girl who took over your fight." Tayuya corrected.

"Whatever. She and I are dating now. So I'm pretty sure that I'd end up in a similar situation she put you in three years ago if she found out I was flirting with another girl."

"Awww," Tayuya mocked, "That's cute, being the damsel in distress that gets swept off his feet by a strong kunoichi saving his ass."

"... You're never going to let me live it down, are you?"

"Nope."

* * *

In the closed Hokage office, Tsunade sat back in her chair and looked at the two ninja in front of her, "Alright, even though I may be enlisting her as a certified member of Konoha, I still can't find it in myself to fully trust her. At least not yet. So there's something that you two should be aware of that would be best if it were to be refrained from her knowledge."

"Like?" Naruto inquired.

"I will be taking those chakra seals off of her. She will be granted full privileges as an ordinary villager, and will have full independence to do whatever she may please around the village. However, I will keep her under a two-month long probationary period where she will be under watch by ANBU to keep track of her every move."

"Oh, that's all?" Asked Naruto, "I mean, I get that you're being careful, but what difference does it make if Tayuya knows about it or not?"

"Because she wants to see if Tayuya will pull anything while she thinks we fully trust her." Anko answered, "If she knew about the ANBU watching her, she'd still possibly put up a façade during that time to trick us into making us trust her."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Said Tsunade.

"Geez, that makes you sound a little paranoid, Baa-chan..." Naruto mumbled.

"Being 'a little paranoid' is what saves your life as a shinobi, Naruto-kun." Tsunade stated matter of factly, "I just thought you two should know in case you spot a few ANBU around you while you're around her."

"Roger that." Anko nodded. The Jounin then turned to Naruto, "Hey, why don't you babysit her for a change? Since you're sooo determined to have her around you all the time."

This made Naruto blush, "Don't say it like that! I only recommended that she stay with me if there was no other option!"

"Well now I'm commanding that she stay with you for the time being, so there is no other option."

"Commanding me?!" Naruto questioned, "Why do you want to have me keep her all of a sudden?!"

"Because it's your turn, duh. I already did my share." Anko then smirked, "Besides, it's obvious that you like her. I knew that from the day we bumped into her."

Naruto's face was now as pink as a cherry blossom, "Sh-Shut up, I do not! She's a nice person and I can see us becoming friends, nothing more! Besides, I already like someone else."

Anko rolled her eyes with a childish smirk, "Hmm, I smell bullshiiiit..." She sung, which made Naruto growl, "Anyway, she'll be staying at your place regardless, so I recommend you spruce your place up while I help her pack her things."

"Wait a damn minute!" Naruto said, "Why don't I get any say in this?!"

"Because it was a command, as I said previously."

"You can't command me to do something like that!"

"I clearly outrank you, so I don't see why not."

Naruto turned to the ruler of the village, who was spectating the conversation with amusement, "Baa-chan!"

Tsunade laughed and raised her hands in surrender, "I'm staying out of it. Like I said before, it's up to you guys to decide what you're going to do with her. If Anko commands that you do it, then she has the right to do so."

Naruto hung his head in defeat, "That's so not fair..."

"I don't know why you're bitching so much." Anko scoffed, "Most guys would kill to have her as a roommate. She's gorgeous. And her tits are just as big as mine. Now you get to stare at them all you want."

Naruto's face was so red at this point, one could assume eighty percent of his blood was now in his head, "Didn't I tell you I don't like her like that?! And that I already have eyes on someone else?!"

"Oh yeah, that pink-haired girl, right?" Anko tapped her chin, "Hm, maybe you have a thing for flat-chested girls. That would explain everything."

The only genin in the room was about to blow a gasket.

"As someone who used to be flat-chested, I take a bit of offense to that." Tsunade stated.

Anko's eyes grew wide, "NO. WAY. _You_ , of all people, used to be flat-chested?!"

Even Naruto took shock at hearing this.

A vein popped in Tsunade's forehead, "Yes, Anko."

"Holy shit." Anko laughed, "And to think that I _thought_ I understood the true concept of irony up until now!"

"ANYWAY." Tsunade growled, "Naruto, Shikamaru, and I have important matters to tend to, so she'll be staying with you for just one more night."

"That's fine." Anko nodded.

"Good, you're dismissed for now. Bring Shikamaru back in for me, will ya?"

"Roger that." Anko then turned around heading for the door.

"The biggest tittied woman in all of Fire Country used to be flat-chested growing up..." Anko mumbled to herself lowly with a snicker, "Man, will Yugao get a kick out of this."

* * *

"So how does it feel?" Anko asked Tayuya after walking out of the Hokage tower with her, "To finally have a home after so long?"

"As if you couldn't tell already, considering my reaction in there..." Tayuya scoffed with a bit of embarrassment.

Anko laughed and nodded, "I honestly didn't think Naruto would manage to convince the Hokage to let you stay. You must have given him the time of his life on that date you two had for him to have it that bad for you."

Tayuya leered at her through the corner of her eyes and shook her head with annoyance, "Get the hell outta here. You know it was nothing like that."

"You're wrong, I don't know that." Anko teased, "Anyway, since it's official, I guess it would be nice to go celebrate, huh?"

Tayuya shrugged. She wasn't familiar with celebrations or commemorations, especially not those dedicated to her, "I guess... What do you have in mind?"

Anko grinned, "Don't worry about it. I have the whole day mapped out for us."

"We're gonna go get shitfaced, aren't we?"

"Hell yeah." Anko replied a bit too happily, "It's way too early for that right now, though. Right now we can just go ahead and get some breakfast."

Tayuya nodded. She was getting pretty hungry.

* * *

 _ ***Many hours later***_

The day had went much faster than Tayuya and Anko had anticipated. Anko took Tayuya out to eat at a local restaurant that served breakfast meals before 12pm. They ate their food and then did a bit more shopping, from food that Anko needed in her home, to a few more clothes and outfits for Tayuya to wear (to prevent Tayuya from running to her wardrobe should she run out of clean clothes for the week). They took their merry time, with Anko even showing Tayuya around that part of the village along the way to help her become more familiar with her new home.

By the time they were finished with all of that, it was already 8pm. Anko had decided that they go to one of her favorite bars for drinks. Anko was a known local there, so she was able to convince the bartender that she was indeed of legal drinking age (Though it didn't take too much convincing, considering the size of Tayuya's bust). They enjoyed their night, and Anko quickly found out that Tayuya was far from skilled at holding her alcohol, which Anko assumed was because Tayuya never had an alcoholic drink in her life. Her lack of controlling herself while inebriated was demonstrated when she ended up breaking some villager's jaw once he showed very aggressive sexual behavior towards her. It was because of this that Anko and Tayuya were asked to leave. This didn't bother Anko, however, since she had been thrown out of the same bar in the past for similar reasons in the past.

Now, it was a bit past midnight, and Anko had just entered her home with Tayuya. Tayuya slumped down onto the couch while Anko grabbed a full bottle of sake, since she had only just reached a buzz by the time they got kicked out of the bar.

"You have quite the right hook." Anko complimented with a snort.

"Fucker shouldn'ta touched me." Tayuya grunted with a slur.

Anko nodded, "It was well deserved, so I'll give you that, too." Anko popped open the bottle and took a full swig from it, hardly even flinching from the strong contents.

"I hava confession..." Tayuya mumbled, "I never really, er... drunk alcohol *hiccup* before this..."

"No shit?" Anko replied sarcastically, "I could tell that by how much you flinched when you sniffed your first shot. What you had wasn't even the good stuff."

"Shuddup..." Tayuya groaned. She then rolled over on her back, holding her head, "My freakin' god... Why is this place spinnin' so goddamned much...?!

Anko took another swig, before snorting, "That's what you get for trying to hold your own with a veteran like me. That tough girl shit you got going on does have its consequences."

Tayuya ignored Anko's statement and simply watched as she sat down on the couch next to her, the large bottle still in her grasp. She took another large gulp, this time flinching a little as the contents went down her throat. Yeah, she was starting to feel it now.

Clearing her throat, Anko stared off into space, "Y'know, I'm kinda happy for you." She said suddenly, "That you don't have to live like a savage anymore. I know I give you a lot of shit, but I know you didn't deserve to live like that."

Tayuya simply looked at her, wondering where this was coming from.

"You seemed pretty indifferent about me leaving before Naruto stuck up for me." Tayuya replied.

"But I stuck up for you in the end, didn't I?" Anko coolly shot back.

"You did." Tayuya nodded lightly enough to prevent from making herself dizzy, "All I'm sayin' is that you were *hiccup* ready to have the Hokage send me back out there, until Naruto had initially said something."

Anko turned her eyes toward her, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Exactly what I just said."

This made Anko turn her whole head towards Tayuya, "Nah, I suspect there's some kind of hiding meaning in those words, Tayuya."

"For someone who's an interrogator, it shouldn't be much of a hidden meaning to you."

The urge to quickly bitch-slap the other person in the room ran through Anko for just a moment.

Instead of getting angrier, Anko simply chuckled, "You know what, you're drunk. So I'm not going to take you too seriously right now."

"I'm not drunk." The redhead replied unconvincingly, "And I'm being serious. I don't know why you'd say you're happy for me if you don't give a shit about me."

Anko rose an eyebrow. Yes, Tayuya was drunk. But Anko knew that people's true feelings almost always came out after some alcohol has entered their system.

"Right, I guess me having your back in the end accounts for nothing." She scoffed with a dry chuckle, taking another swig.

"All I'm saying is that you've acted like such a dick to me these past few days. So excuse me if I'm a little skeptical when you tell me that you're glad I'm here."

"I let you into my home."

"Okay, but-"

"I fed you."

"Yeah, but-"

"I let you wear some of my clothes."

"So? You didn't-"

"I let you sleep in my home where I sleep, and dropped my guard around you."

"I doubt that-"

"I gave you a chance back when we first ran into you. I could have ignored or executed you as soon as we saw you with the Curse Mark. You think Naruto had enough influence over me to decide that I should let you live? I didn't have to listen to him, I _gave_ you that chance because I _wanted_ to."

"..."

"And even right now, I spent the whole day with you to celebrate your permanent spot in Konoha. I didn't have to do anything that I've done for you. If I didn't give a shit about you, you'd still be out there hunting rabbits for dinner." Throughout everything Anko had said since she took her last sip of sake, Anko was looking forward, not at Tayuya. Now, she turned her head, giving her a steely look, "So don't try and tell me that I never gave a shit. You don't have the slightest idea what goes on in my head."

This shut Tayuya up for quite a few seconds, especially since Anko was still hitting her with that piercing glare. However, something still bothered Tayuya, and made sure that she express it to the woman before her.

"But why were you acting like such a bitch to me?!" Tayuya demanded. Her level of intoxication caused her emotions to magnify, while she leaned forward closer to Anko's face, "I mean, I get that I'm not the nicest person out there, but you seemed so ready for me to go! I know you owed me nothing! I know that I had no right to expect you to stick up for me! But something still wasn't right about how easy it was for you to expect me to go back out there, considering how you knew how bad I had it!"

Anko's expression never changed, "One thing that I'll give Naruto is that he has balls for stomping in the Hokage's office and demanding her to change her decision. If I'd have tried that, I would have gotten shut down quickly, or even would have gotten on her bad side for opposing her. So that's why I didn't put up any kind of fight. My word wouldn't have accounted for much if I did. But Naruto and the Hokage? They have a special connection. The Fifth Hokage wouldn't even be the Fifth Hokage if not for Naruto. And it's mainly because of that how Naruto's influence was strong enough to make Tsunade reconsider." Anko sighed, shaking her head, "Do you get it now? Even if you did end up leaving tonight, I did what I could so that it would have been at least somewhat of a nice break for you. It's not that I didn't give a shit about you leaving, it's just that I knew there wouldn't be anything I could do to change that."

Tayuya looked away, actually paying attention to what's happening. What was she doing? Why did she decide to pick a fight with Anko all of a sudden? What minuscule feelings did she have inside of her that would temporarily override her joy of finally having a proper home?

"... I'm sorry." Tayuya mumbled, "I don't... I don't really know where this is coming from."

"You're drunk." Anko dismissed with a wave of her hand, "Alcohol can distort your words and feelings, especially for those who haven't built up a tolerance for it. So don't worry about it, no hard feelings."

Tayuya groaned and held her head. Alcohol is evil, she quickly realized.

"I will confess something, though." Anko suddenly said after another sip from her bottle. It was a third of a bottle full now, and Anko felt the full brunt of the inebriation coming on, "Earlier today, after I woke you up, you may have noticed that I seemed a bit more harsh than usual. The reason for that was because I was trying to distance myself."

"Distance yourself?" Tayuya repeated, "Whaddya mean?"

Anko paused to think for a second. She had to figure out how to phrase her next response without making it sound... weird.

"You saw that I have the same Curse Mark you have." She started, unconsciously rubbing the mark with her hand, "We've both been used by a man sicker than most people in the entire world. For that, I respected you because I could relate to how you felt. And then I see that we're not much different, you and I. You've fought for your life, more than some shinobi would in battles during their careers. You didn't give up, even as Kami kept throwing you curveballs for years. And for that, I respected you more. And despite everything that's happened to you, you were never afraid to speak your mind. Yeah, you're attitude isn't the best and your manners could use a whole lot of adjustment. But even as it seemed like you were staring the Shinigami in the face, you never begged for anything. You kept your pride, and strength with you the whole time. And for that, I respected you even more."

The Special Jounin took a pause, feeling the eyes of Tayuya set on her to show that she had one-hundred percent of her attention.

"And it seems that you know your limits. You know when and how not to push your boundaries. And that's a nice trait to have, considering the rest of your personality." Anko closed her eyes, "So what I'm trying to say is... I didn't want to... respect you too much."

Anko knew that sounded weird, and knew Tayuya was going to call her out on it.

"You didn't want to 'respect' me too much?" She said with a small snort, "That's the first time I've heard that."

Anko looked at her bottle, "Fuck it." She grunted to herself before chugging down the rest of it. The liquid drained into her gut with a fiery burn passing through her esophagus, making her flinch and hiss.

Once Anko recovered, she turned her dazed eyes toward the redhead in front of her, "I'll just go on and say it; I didn't want us to be friends if it meant that you were just going to leave here. It's rare that I actually meet people that I can really relate to and consider a legitimate friend. So I didn't want to waste my time forming a bond, if it just ended up that it would be of no use in the long run."

Anko was disgusted with herself. What kind of sappy shit is this?! The damned alcohol was making her spew this crap.

Tayuya looked away for a moment. Anko was expecting her to make fun of her.

"But I'm not leaving." Tayuya said lowly.

Anko nodded, "So it seems."

The room got awkwardly silent. Both women were now drunk, and only the ticking sound from Anko's clock in the kitchen was currently making noise.

"Hey... I have a question." Tayuya suddenly stated.

"Shoot."

"Remember what you said yesterday about how we're the type to bully those that we kind of like?"

Anko raised an eyebrow, but nodded. She wondered where she was going with this, "Yeah, and?"

Tayuya didn't respond right away, "You didn't deny it when I said that you were the one bullying me."

Anko said nothing. Or at least not right away.

She soon let out a small chuckle, "Are you trying to say that I like y-?"

All of a sudden, Anko found herself unable to finish her sentence. Due to the alcohol and how fast everything had happened, it took Anko quite some time to realize that she was being kissed.

By Tayuya.

Tayuya was kissing her.

Anko's eyes shot open, and she used her hands to push Tayuya away. This ultimately resulted in Anko grabbing her breasts through her shirt, making Tayuya subconsciously bit her lip.

"Wh-whoa, what in the name of Kami do you think you're doing?!" Anko demanded.

Tayuya smirked. She complained about how the alcohol was making her feel earlier, but now... she embraced it. It freed her from her own restrictive and apprehensive thoughts. It allowed her to confidently do whatever it was that she wanted to do right then and there, without worrying about any possible negative outcomes.

"Making my move." Tayuya answered her simply before kissing her again. Anko was still so shocked, but despite her hands still being on Tayuya's chest to push her away, she couldn't find the strength to actually do it. And she _knew_ she had the strength. So why wasn't she doing it? Anko never was one to think that she'd be into girls but... Tayuya's lips felt so soft. Her breath tasted heavily of alcohol, but so did hers.

With her lips still planted on Anko's, Tayuya reached a hand up to swat away the sake bottle that was still in Anko's right hand, being pushed against her breast. The empty glass bottle fell and hit the hardwood floor, leaving a crack in it.

The Jounin wasn't sure why, but her hands slowly went from feebly attempting to push Tayuya away, to slowly squeezing and massaging the flesh in her palms.

 _"Fuck it."_ Was Anko's last memorable thought before she allowed Tayuya's tongue to slip into her mouth.

Within two minutes, Anko found herself on her back, laying under Tayuya on her couch.

Within ten minutes, Anko found herself lightly moaning, as Tayuya's lips and tongue traveled to other places other than her mouth.

Within thirty minutes, Anko found herself bare nude, with a bare nude Tayuya still on top of her.

Within the hour, Anko found herself gripping at a handful of red hair, which belonged to a head that rested between her spread legs.

Anko wasn't sure exactly how long she and Tayuya kept at it. But Anko was sure she saw the sun rising through her window before they finished.


End file.
